A November to Remember
by VelvetPersona
Summary: When an innocent family needs assitance in protecting thier son, Noah from a supposed assassination, the Ninja and Kunoichi send forth the two young Chosen, Lloyd and Dominique, to go undercover at the prestigious Bryce Academy for a month in order to protect Noah and possibly catch the culprit. Let's see how this plays out...(ON HIATUS! READ LATEST UPDATE FOR FURTHER DETAILS!)


***rubs the back of head sheepishly* Sorry for the prolonged absence everyone, but the hospital has been hectic as of late. Anyways, I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving and all that jazz! Happy Holidays FFN! Just a heads-up, I won't be updating "Zane's Room" until after my Halloween and Thanksgiving stories are finished and if anyone has any ideas for a Christmas story then please don't hesitate to PM me your suggestions. In regards to this story, this is just another random holiday story with ABSOLUTELY NO TIES TO THE ELEMENTS AND TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS TIMELINE! I'm just using my OCs and their romantic relationships with the Ninja, that's it. Although, Sensei Wu is deceased in this, it would be too jarring to my mind if he was alive since Dominique will be featured in this story. On an insightful note, all of you precious readers will get a little taste of her personality and how her interactions with Lloyd are going to be in the future when Trials and Tribulations starts which will be in…March 2014! Check out my DA page for more details! One thing to remember…DON'T THINK TOO HARD! And just enjoy the holiday story. I love you all! **

**Please read and enjoy!**

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A November to Remember

"Let's forget about this, Matthew. This place is way too unsettling, let's just go home."

A young woman clutched the arm of her male companion and huddled closer to him for warmth from the unrelenting autumn winds.

Her fear was evident as she glanced about herself in uncertainty, her breath coming out in short puffs of white as she and her husband stood under a single lamppost in the eerie depths of Alto Park.

"We can't Celeste. Besides he said he'd be here at 8 o'clock, so we'll wait until then."

Matthew checked the time from his watch and saw it was five until eight. He hoped he wasn't wasting his time, but he trusted his grandfather's word. The old man's stories were a bit far-fetched though…the tale of Ninja and Kunoichi…beings of shadow and stealth roaming Ninjago doing valiant deeds sounded more like folklore to him. He had run out of options however, and he and his wife needed help in insuring the safety of their son.

"But how do we know we can even trust him?" Celeste persisted. "What if he's in league with the very same people who want to hurt Noah?"

"Because apparently Granddad knew his teacher, a…Sensei Wu I think and said he was trustworthy." He turned to his wife and placed his hands on her shoulders in an act of reassurance. "We tried going to the police and that was pointless. Honey, whoever these men are we have to protect our son from them and we can't do it alone."

Celeste nodded sadly, her eyes glistening in fresh tears. "Why is this happening? We're a normal family and Noah's a good boy. Why target him?"

Matthew embraced his wife to comfort her. "Nothing's going to happen to Noah, okay? I promise."

The couple stayed in each other's arms in the silent of night. Early November brought forth a steady drop in temperature and leafless trees. Although it was the holiday season wickedness shows no discrimination to the times and a single average family in Twilight City had caught the eye of misfortune…

The two were then startled by the abrupt shattering of the light within the lamppost and thrust into darkness. Matthew stood in front of Celeste to shield her from any incoming assault, but none was forthcoming. The young father's eyes squinted to see into the encroaching obscurity. Despite the twinkling stars above and the luminosity of the crescent moon he could barely discern the surrounding trees. Celeste trembled in terror from behind her husband and clutched his coat desperately.

"We don't usually do this sort of thing…"

Matthew turned quickly toward the source of the voice and repositioned himself between the tall dark figure and Celeste.

"But, since your grandfather is a friend of our late sensei…we decided to make an exception."

The low voice carried on unperturbed by the man's rapid movement and simply crossed his arms over his chest. Matthew scrutinized the being in front of him the best he could and deduced the figure was encased in black and maybe silver plus indubitably male. He was broad and looked formidable, the moon's rays reflecting off the long curved blade of a golden scythe.

Matthew swallowed, but stood his ground before the masked man. "We? There are more of you? Here?"

"Perhaps…" came the cryptic reply, "How may we help you?"

"Right to the point I see…okay…" Matthew straightened up his posture, but kept his position in front of his wife and remained vigilant. He reached into his pocket and removed a small crimson pouch. "Have you ever seen this before?" He asked and presented the bag to the mysterious being.

The man took it and handled the pouch carefully, slowly unraveling the golden string that kept it closed. Once undone, pitch black sand was revealed. Matthew watched as the man lifted a black gloved hand and pinched the substance, letting it sift through his fingers.

"Where did you get this?"

"The very first one was found by our son in his backpack at school. He had no idea how it got there. He asked his classmates, his teacher, everyone he knew, but they couldn't tell him anything. When he showed it to us when he got home, we didn't think anything of it. After all, it was just sand y'know even though it is ominous…being black and all. We've never seen anything like it. That was a month ago and after that…they started showing up around the house…one per week…in Noah's room…his bathroom…everywhere he's usually at. Our son was getting scared…and so were we, so we installed security cameras all over our house and outside around our property through our home security system in hopes of catching the perpetrators…It was futile. Somehow the cameras didn't catch anything and the pouches of sand kept coming. We tried asking for assistance at the TCPD, but…" Matthew shook his head ruefully, "nothing fruitful came from that. Noah is being beleaguered for no apparent reason. He hasn't been harmed…just removed from any sense of security. He supposed to feel safe at home with his family not tormented by spooks. Is there anything you can tell us? Are these pouches bad omens to represent Noah being targeted? And if so…can you protect him?"

The man consumed in black garb said nothing for a time. Still taking the utmost care and precaution, he refastened the golden string around the pouch, but showed no signs of giving it back.

"Hattori Hanzō was one of the founding fathers of Ninjitsu in the late 1500's of feudal Japan during the Sengoku and Edo era. He was the leader of the Iga Ninja Clan and ordered his network of assassins to leave "calling cards" so to speak amongst their targets' belongings or in their homes…" The man opened his palm where the little sack lay. "That "calling card" was a little crimson pouch with a gold string and its contents…pitch black sand…the message…impending death…"

"Oh my god…" Celeste gasped and came around to stand beside her husband. "Then Noah is in danger! Please you have to save him! We'll pay anything!"

"Calm down and let me finish…" the man ordered gently and Matthew placed his hand on his distraught wife's shoulder.

"Upon opening the pouch, the victim would be killed shortly after by decapitation as was the decree of the Iga. Therefore, logically Noah would've been slain by now if this was a calculated assassination by a loyal follower of the code. Also, they never sent more than one "calling card" to a single target which leads me to believe that the perpetrator in this case is an amateur….someone looking to scare Noah nothing more. A rival perhaps."

"What…? Noah is only eleven years old, so you mean another kid is doing this? But, what about the cameras? Surely, they would've spotted a little kid snooping around our property," Matthew questioned, clearly perplexed by this new speculation.

"Homemade chaff grenades can be easily crafted with the right materials and their primary use is for the disruption of electronic equipment. Not too difficult for a smart kid to put together…or a group of them. Noah found one of these pouches once a week starting a month ago you said? I assume then that this is the most recent?"

"Y-Yes, in our backyard," Celeste sniffed. "Noah found it near his Super Soaker a few days ago."

"Hmm…"

"Listen, mister ninja…even if by chance the one who is doing this is just another kid. I don't want to take any chances. Can't you just send one of your…clansmen to keep surveillance over Noah while he's at school? He's starring in this year's Thanksgiving play as one of the main roles and I want him to relax and have fun. Not constantly looking over his shoulder, waiting for something bad to happen. Please catch whoever is doing this. We want peace of mind," Celeste pleaded.

The dark enigma was quiet, obviously going over a course of action in his mind. Matthew and Celeste waited patiently for him to make a decision and to their surprise…despite the darkness and the intimidation the being displayed…the crescent moon light illuminated calm and focused emerald jade eyes that radiated determination and benevolence.

"Don't worry we don't plan on taking this lightly. The Iga were a noble clan and to have their decree mocked for another's enjoyment for petty payback or whatever the reason is sacrilege. Not to mention the life of an innocent child is involved. I will have a phoenix and a dragon watch over Noah while he's at school. They're young, but no doubt they can get the job done."

The couple breathed a heavy sigh of relief and expressed their gratitude earnestly.

"Thank you so much," Matthew said. "Our family name is Hoffman and Noah attends Bryce Academy on the west side of town. And here," he continued and reached into his coat pocket to retrieve a small card, "this is our home address and telephone number. Please keep us updated on your progress and let us know if there is anything we can do to further assist you."

"Got it," the man in black replied and took the offered card. He then held up the pouch. "And if you don't mind I'd like to keep this for further analysis. The black sand in this pouch doesn't look like the same black sand found in Mikawa, which the Iga used, but…I'd like to be certain. Maybe it will contain a clue under meticulous dissection," he finished and dropped the crimson pouch off to his right. The couple barely registered the coming of a second black gloved hand catching the descending pocket of sand and retracting back into the thick of darkness.

"Uh…sure. By all means," Matthew stammered and blinked rapidly to see if his eyes were playing tricks on him. He could've sworn he saw a glimpse of white…

"Just in case you are visited again by another…sand dropper or droppers I'll organize a stake-out around your house next week. Also, leave the rest of the pouches on your doorstep tomorrow night, one of my brothers will pick them up."

"Alright and thank you," Celeste said with a nod.

The black ninja then folded his arms over his chest. "Do you have any questions?" He asked, looking pointedly at the couple.

"Yes, actually…" Matthew spoke up, "what's your name for future reference?"

"My name is irrelevant, but I will be the only one to make contact with you, so just call me "Earth". I'll be going by that alias when I call…Anything else?"

"You said that there would be "a phoenix and a dragon" looking after Noah while he's at school and that they were young. What did you mean by that?" Celeste asked next.

"Dragon" and "Phoenix" are their respected titles and they are very spirited though inexperienced. Rest assured though, your son is as good as protected while under their watchful eyes."

The worrisome mother opened her mouth to say something else, but her husband interrupted her. "We trust you…Earth…just please remember to call us if anything happens. Let's get back to Noah, dear. He and Joseph are waiting for us."

Matthew nodded his farewell to "Earth" and guided his wife in the direction they came, back to their home. As the couple walked away, Celeste could not help but glance back, however when she did their mysterious confidant and hopefully savior had vanished.

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Cole didn't travel too far from the rendezvous point, leaning against the trunk of an old Oak his arms still crossed over his chest.

"So what do you guys think?" He called out into the darkness and simultaneously his brothers materialized from the shadows, entering his field of vision.

Zane gripped the crimson pouch and tied the golden string around the top once more after his own inspection of the black sand within.

"I believe your hypothesis is correct, Cole," said Zane. "The probability that the ones who planted these pouches are legitimate Iga Ninja is slim at best since until this day the decree remains the same and this black sand…is pure hokum. I can tell even without analysis."

"Be that as it may Zane let's not cut corners. Kai will pick up the other pouches tomorrow night, so you can conduct a thorough analysis on all of them," Cole replied and Kai placed a hand on his hip.

"Fine, but what about the stake-out? Who's going to do that mundane task?" He asked.

Cole shrugged. "Someone with a lot of damn patience that's for sure, therefore I was thinking Ayane and Ebony could take care of it and rotate shifts. Ayane, mornings and afternoons. Ebony, evenings and nights. Hopefully, they'll agree to the arrangement, but when Thanksgiving edges closer the Kunoichi will be off-limits for missions due to the fact that they plan to do all the cooking this year."

"Yeah, after all Shinobi celebrate the holidays too," Jay put in brightly. "No sweat on our end, Cole. The main concern is going to be with Yoshi and Kirby…mainly Yoshi. He's been sort of—kind of topsy-turvy with his moods as of late."

"Yeah, like _he_ has PMS or somethin'," Kai retorted with a roll of his golden-amber eyes. "I don't get his deal. His training is going smoothly, but his interactions with Dom are…well you guys have seen it. They're not exactly hitting it off. Lloyd has this agitation and hostility towards her and Dom just…takes it stride and doesn't say anything cruel back. She's seems a little passive-aggressive towards him."

"I sense that Dominique sees something about Lloyd that we cannot. We best leave well-enough alone and not get involved with their personal matters and just focus on their training. Individual growth will be more forthcoming without the interference of a third party," Zane advised.

"I don't know, Zane," Jay countered slyly. "Try telling that to my little sis."

Zane sighed. "Yes, or Ayane…"

"Hell, or any of the Kunoichi," Kai added as well.

The brothers stopped and looked at each other…

"Women…" they chorused in unison and shook their heads.

"Listen," Cole began, "Sasha and I will take care of Lloyd and Dominique's enrollment in Bryce Academy. I'm being optimistic here, but I'm hoping Ebony has a few strings she can pull with the principle, hence we can arrange a special one-month-exchange-student-program. If not…we'll have to think of something else. As for their reactions, I think Dom will be thrilled to go back into a learning environment with her peers and with her eyes she'll be able to scoop-out any unnatural malicious auras from the other children…or from any adults. With what we have and know now it's too hard to say who the culprit or culprits are, so we have to stay sharp. And Lloyd…" the Leader of the Ninja paused then shrugged for a second time, "who knows maybe he'll look at attending school as an opportunity to be a normal kid again. If only for a brief time. Oh and by the way, Jay…" Cole dug into one of his pockets and flicked the card Matthew gave him over to the lightning ninja.

Jay caught it reflexively. "I need you to run the fingerprints of Mr. Hoffman using the Bounty's computer and do a background check…just to be on the safe side. Plus, grab a photo of Noah from Bryce Academy's database and fork it over to Lloyd so he'll know what the protectorate looks like. If he can't befriend him then he can at least protect him."

"No prob!" Jay saluted. "It's been a while since I did a good old-fashioned hacking and I'm sure Nya wouldn't mind helping out. She's great at this sort of thing too."

"Alright boys, now that we all know the plan let's mosey on home and inform the ladies and the two soon-to-be-exchange-students of Bryce Academy!" Cole ordered.

"_**NINJA-GO!" **_The Spinjitzu Masters rallied together and as the team of Ninja disembarked on their Spinjitzu Vehicles out of Twilight City and back to the Destiny's Bounty, their minds were centered on the new mission and returning to their loved ones. However…this one particular month would be like no other, not only because of the celebratory feast that was to come, but because of the many misadventures that lied ahead…especially for the "Dragon" and the "Phoenix".

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**I'm not really sure how long this story is going to be, but I'm shooting for no more than five chapters or less. Please look forward to an update on my Halloween story this weekend and help me out with ideas for a Christmas story! Remember all sorts of reviews are welcomed as well as favs and follows!**

**Please read and review!**


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